Crystal Fire (5 page)

In the end, his betrayal of her wouldn't surprise her. She despised all men, thought them capable of little else anyway. Why should he bother to disabuse her of such a dearly cher- ished conviction? It served both their purposes.

Brace smiled grimly. How the mind could twist anything to suit its needs! With a grunt of pain, he levered himself to one elbow and cleared his throat.

"What are you cooking in that pot?" He lifted his head slightly in an effort to peer inside. "A stew perhaps?"

Marissa grimaced at the hopeful note in his voice. She turned.

"A
vegetable
broth."

Brace frowned. "No meat?"

"None. I'm a vegetarian."

"Well,
I'm
not."

She arched a slender brow and smiled. "I'm afraid you are this nocte."

He fell back with a groan. "I need meat if I'm to regain my strength, not some . . . some putrid vegetable water."

"When did you last eat?"

"I don't know," he grumbled. "Maybe two, three sols ago."

"And you think your stomach could handle a slab of greasy meat? You'd heave it back up five secundae after you'd wolfed it down. Vegetable broth is what you need. On the morrow, if you've tolerated the soup, I'll allow you some fruit."

"
Allow
me?" Brace propped himself back up and glared over at her. "You're not my nurse-maid, to
allow
me to"

"I am most precisely that, you ignorant sandwart," Marissa interjected angrily.

"You're no good to me if you don't heal. When you're better, feel free to go out and slaughter every animal on this despicable planetand eat them all! In the meanwhile, permit me to care for you in the manner I see fit."

Brace groaned and fell back again. "By the five moons! You're the most infuriating femina I've ever met!"

"And you're the glorious light of the Imperium!"

Marissa lifted the pot off the fire and set it between them. Picking up two spoons, she offered one to him.

"Get up and have some soup. Since you don't want my 'nurse-maiding,' I'm certainly not going to feed you."

He shoved himself to a sitting position, his own anger muting some of the pain of his protesting muscles, and sullenly accepted a spoon. For a while he watched Marissa eat, his stubborn pride warring with his ravenous hunger. Practicality finally won out. After all, Brace consoled himself, the sooner he regained his strength, the sooner he could go out and hunt for real food. He dug into the pot of soup.

Sometime later, his stomach pleasantly full of what had been surprisingly tasty for a mess of vegetables, Brace lay back with a sigh. At the sound, Marissa looked up from her task of sand-cleaning the pot. She shot him an inquiring glance.

Brace chuckled wryly. "As much as I hate to admit it, the soup wasn't all that bad. You're quite a cook, considering the circumstances."

The unaccustomed praise unsettled her. "It was a tasteless mess," Marissa mumbled. "Your hunger made it seem better than it was."

He stared at her until she couldn't bear it. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why must you throw an honest compliment back in my face?" he asked quietly. "Why can't you judge me by my own actions, rather than by the actions of others?"

"And what makes you think I'm not judging you by your own actions?"

"Because I've done nothing to deserve your disdain. If you were honest, you'd admit that."

A myriad of emotions flashed through Marissa. He was right, curse his righteous male hide! He'd been aggravating; at times even arrogant, but so far he'd never failed to treat her as an equal.

Never, save for that moment he'd held her pressed close to him . . .

The memory sent a surge of heated blood rushing through Marissa, blood that churned chaotically until it rose to flush her face. She'd never felt that way before. More than anything else, that realization angered her. It was male domination at its worst, and she'd not have it!

"You mistake yourself if you think to play upon my sympathies," she retorted. "Your actions are indeed what I react to. You are nothing but a blustering, arrogant male, constantly demanding, endlessly hampering my quest. And all these questions!"

Marissa made an irritated sweep of her hand. "Content yourself with regaining your strength so we can get on with the rescue of my sister. It'll more than satisfy me."

"Well, it won't satisfy me."

The flat warning gave Marissa pause. She searched his face, finding his anger.

Exasperation filled her. What now? Would this infuriating male
never
be placated?

"Then what will it take?" she ground out. "What will finally satisfy you?"

What indeed? Brace wondered. There was no reason to prod her like this, to force revelations that, in the end, would only make his betrayal of her the harder. Better he continue to consider her the mouthy, self-sufficient little she-devil she made herself out to be. Better not to delve too deeply, to pluck at her barely contained vulnerability hovering just beyond that veil of determined purpose.

Better for the both of them.

"I need to know more about the particulars of this quest," he forced himself to say.

Stick to the reason for your rescue, Brace lectured himself. Keep it impersonal. Keep her thinking you mean to help while you buy time.

"And what would you know?"

"To begin with, why was your sister abducted?"

She laughed and shook her head. "You had to start with the hardest question of all, didn't you? Well, I don't know why Candra was abducted. She was singled out, though, for the males took no one but her."

Brace frowned. "And there was nothing special about her? Nothing that would motivate her abduction?"

Color flooded Marissa's cheeks. She must tell him, she supposed. Would a Bellatorian hold a revulsion for multiple births as her people did?

She returned his stare unwaveringly. "We are identical twins, and Candra is a Traveler. That is all that is special about her."

He cocked his head. "A Traveler, is she? I've heard of their strange powers. Only female twins possess that ability."

Brace paused, his eyes narrowing. "But it's said that on Moraca both twins never live to adulthood. One is always cast out to . . ." A dark, unfathomable look flared in his eyes. "That's why you're a Sodalitas, isn't it, Marissa? Because you were the twin without the powers. The useless one. The one cast out."

She couldn't seem to free herself from his visual hold. What
was
it about his eyes? What were the emotions that darkened them to deep, bottomless black?

Pity? Disgust? Amusement?

"Yes," Marissa replied. "I was the one cast out. The one sacrificed to appease our laws and lawgivers."

She met his gaze squarely, refusing to cower from the truth, from the unrelenting reality of her existence. She'd dealt with her fate long ago and would never allow a male to make her feel bad for it again. She knew her true worthwhat little there was of it.

''And those lawgivers were males," Brace finished quietly. "That's why you hate us, isn't it?"

Blue-green fire flashed in her eyes. "For that and your subjugation of our women! Yes, that's why I hate males! Now are you satisfied? Have you heard enough?"

"No, Marissa. I'm not satisfied."

His deep voice was rough. The rasping sound skittered down her spine. It made Marissa tingle, then fill with a languorous warmth. Fiercely she shook off the unfamiliar feelings, fearing their power.

By the Crystal Fires, was this how males influenced women then? By heated glances, deep, silky voices, and mesmerizing words? Well, she would have none of it!

"Then what?" Marissa snapped. "What more would you know? I tire of this inquisition."

He regarded her steadily. "You claim not to understand why your sister was abducted. Do you perhaps then know who abducted her and where he took her? If not, I fear this quest of yours is doomed from the start."

"I'm aware of that." A defensive edge crept into her voice. "Though I have yet to determine where he has taken Candra, I do know the male's name." "And?"

Marissa hesitated. Here it comes now, she thought. If this doesn't drive him away, nothing will. She wet her lips and, for a secundae, couldn't quite meet his eyes.

Uneasiness coiled in the pit of Brace's stomach. "Marissa?"

With a sigh, she forced her gaze back to his. "The man who abducted my sister is known to all. He is a vile criminal who roams the Imperium at will, wreaking havoc and destruction."

She paused to inhale a steadying breath, then forged on. "The male's name is Ferox."

Surprise slashed through Brace, then sickening horror. Ferox. Marissa planned to find and take on Ferox. Did she truly know the futility of such a quest? She had to; she was a Moracan. They, of all the peoples of the Imperium, knew the depths of Ferox's depravity.

Concern for her filled him. Soon she'd not even have his assistance. But perhaps it was better that way. Without him, Marissa would be forced to reassess the wisdom of her quest. Reassess and admit it was hopeless. Yes, Brace assured himself, in the end he was doing her more than a kindnesshe was saving her life.

"Ferox, eh? Nothing small about your undertakings, is there?" he drawled with feigned casualness. "And how do you propose we approach this? Ferox is not only armed with every imaginable weapon, but also leads a large force of felons."

Marissa forced herself to return his steady gaze. She'd anticipated an angry lecture, if not outright rebellion. His unexpected coolness unnerved her more than she cared to admit.

How calm would you really be, Brace Ardane
, she retorted silently,
if you knew Ferox wanted you? And that I have only to deliver you?

Guilt stabbed her, but Marissa flung the traitorous feeling aside. She dared not allow him to weaken her resolve. Candra's welfare would always matter more than his. It had to. Their twinhood bound them to life itself.

"I haven't quite formulated a plan as to how to take on Ferox," Marissa admitted, turning her unsettling thoughts to a more immediate topic. "A lot will depend on where he's at and what his own plans are. But, first things first. You must regain your strength before we head out to Tutela, the closest interplanetary transport station. Once there, we can hide out in disguise until we acquire enough money to replenish our supplies and determine Ferox's current location. Then we'll transport there."

"Why are you doing all this, Marissa?" Brace asked softly.

He leaned forward, impaling her with an intent pair of dark brown eyes. "You're far too practical for such an act of mercy, especially when the services of loathsome males are as easily acquired as tossed aside."

Possible replies raced through Marissa's mind and, for a moment, panic churned them all into a confusing muddle. Then she calmed, forcing a smile to her lips.

"Only a desperate man would go after Ferox, and I thought you'd be the most desperate. There was nothing for you where you were. At least now there's some hope." "You think so?" Brace gave a bitter laugh. "And is my desperation enough to overcome an army of bloodthirsty criminals? I am only one against many, after all."

"You are a great and powerful warrior, renowned for your courage and resourcefulness in battle."

"I
was
a great and powerful warrior," he corrected her grimly. "But that was two cycles ago." His expression turned bleak. "I tell you true, Marissa. I'm not sure what I am anymore."

He really believes that, Marissa realized, seeing the doubt, the fear smoldering in his eyes. But how could that be? He was a male. Males never wavered in their self-assured conviction that the universe revolved about them, that they were omnipotent in thought and deed. But that look in Ardane's eyes . . .

Once more Marissa's confidence faltered. Before, everything had been so simple, so clear. Rescue Ardane and somehow trick him into going with her to Ferox. Trade him for her sister, then turn and walk away. So very, very simple.

But was Ardane even up to the task? She had thought she'd only have to contend with a physically weakened male and his reluctance to cooperate, especially after he discovered who had abducted Candra. But nownow Marissa realized that the wounds of his imprisonment ran deeper than the flesh, slicing through to his very soul. And she didn't know how to deal with that.

She climbed to her feet and stoked the fire, then retrieved the little black pot.

Brace frowned. "Where are you going?"

Marissa glanced over her shoulder. "To get water for your bath. I can't abide another moment of your stench. If we're to sleep in close quarters, it's time to see you clean."

Without another word Marissa strode from the cave, the pot tucked under her arm. Brace stared after her for a long while, an uneasy memory nibbling at the edge of his mind. He'd seen the apprehensive look that had flitted across Marissa's face when he'd admitted his self-doubts.

He regretted telling her that. It wasn't just the foolish revelation of his shameful weakness. What if she decided he wasn't worth further time and effort? What if she left him here? He couldn't survive without herat least not yet.

Even more troubling was the knowledge that he didn't want the parting until
he
was ready for it. But why? Was it just instinctive male possessiveness for a female, slipping past his newly constructed determination to think only of himself?

Brace chuckled grimly. Old habits die hard, but die they must. From now on he'd have to guard more closely against the pretty little Sodalitas. And separate from her as quickly as possible. He watched the fire while yet another unsettling thought eased into his mind. Marissa had said she'd chosen him for his warrior's abilities. Warriors, in times such as these, were easily had. There were a lot simpler and safer ways to acquire an accompliceand Marissa was not a fool.

No, Marissa was not a fool and neither was he. For some mysterious reason, she needed him above all others. Marissa indeed had a plan. And that plan entailed a lot more than she was yet willing to reveal . . .